NHK reporting that a convoy of concrete trucks are being prepared to head to the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Concrete was used by the Soviets during the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
All posts by Hutchins AAron
Japanese Banks limiting access to cash
NHK has been reporting that banks around Japan are limiting ATM withdrawals.
Many Japanese are angry because they are having a hard time getting access to their money, in order to buy necessities.
Banks say their clients can still walk in, during limited hours, to make larger withdrawals. The banks are blaming the disaster situation, including power outages, for the reason for limiting access to ATMs.
Just one more reason to keep your money under the mattress.
Hospitals within evacuation zone still waiting for help, More proof you can’t rely on the government
A hospital in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, inside the zone where people have been instructed to stay indoors, more than half the hospital’s staff have evacuated. But, about 170 inpatients are still at the hospital.
“We’re reaching the limits of our ability to provide treatment,” hospital director Yukio Kanazawa said. Only a small number of hospital staff stayed behind to care for the patients.
Ohmachi Hospital staff is now less than 40%. The hospital is rationing meals for patients, two meals a day.
Doctors who normally work at Tono Hospital, cannot get there because of a fuel shortage.
Ninohe Hospital has run out of supplies, including heating fuel. “It’s as if some enemy is starving us out,” a hospital official said.
Kunihiro Mashiko, chief of the emergency treatment center of Nippon Medical School Chiba Hokusoh Hospital says “Lives that were saved once may be lost because of the shortage of both doctors and medicine.”
At Ishinomaki Hospital, tap water, electricity and gas have been cut off. Requests for help with about 120 inpatients were declined.
.45 Caliber Pistol now official Gun of Utah
The governor of Utah made it official, the Browning M1911 .45 caliber pistol is the Gun of Utah.
I like the M1911A1. Back when I was in the California Army National Guard (and later the Idaho Army National Guard) we used the M1911A1, and I always scored expert. Then we switched to the Beretta M9, and I never scored expert again.
Utah has bragging rights because John M. Browning designed the gun, and he was born and raised in Utah. The M1911, with .45 ACP ammo, came in response to a U.S. military search for a gun with the stopping power to bring down drugged up tribal rebels during the U.S. occupation of the Philippines, after the Spanish American War in the late 1800s (yes the United States has been an empire for a while now). When you get knocked down by the .45 you don’t get up.
The U.S. military switched to the Beretta M9 in the 1990s. It uses a higher velocity 9mm ammo, and carries more rounds in its magazine. The M9 has always had problems. I’ve always wondered why I could not score expert with the higher velocity 9mm, but had no problem scoring expert with the lower velocity .45.
Despite my affection for the M1911A1, I have to question why state lawmakers would spend time trying to make an official state so and so. Don’t elected officials have more important things to address?
Ivory Coast, more proof of U.S. & French Hypocrisy
The UN is expressing shock at the violence in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire). Yet, where’s the U.S. pushing for no fly zones and military action? Hypocrisy!
If the violence in Libya warrants military action by the UN, then why not in Ivory Coast? Where’s war mongering French President Sarkozy? Ivory Coast used to be a colony of France, yet Sarkozy has been salivating at the prospect of military action against Libya (a former Italian colony). He’s been working hard to get support for war against Libya, he even convinced the Arab League to join in.
2010 election results, in Ivory Coast, were basically thrown out by the ruling party, and that started what now looks like a second civil war. Hello, President Obama, what about the rights of the “people”? Obama is quick to use such reasoning in regards to attacking Libya, but not Ivory Coast.
The United States Department of State estimates that at least 75,000 people have fled Ivory Coast into Liberia (a former U.S. colony). Recent reports say dead bodies lie in the streets of the capitol. An attack by government forces, on March 17, is being called a crime against humanity by the UN, but where’s the U.S. and France on this one. Oh yeah they’re getting ready to bomb Libya.
Maybe the Crazy Rich are Right? Then we’re Screwed!
A Fidelity Investments survey shows that 4 out of 10 rich people, with an average wealth of $3.5 million, say it’s not enough. Maybe they’re right. Most of those surveyed are thinking about being able to retire. They say $7.5 million in assets is required to retire comfortably.
Is this proof of how bad our economy is?
If the rich are saying you need at least $7.5 million to retire, then the rest of us are truly in trouble. In fact why bother continuing to play the rat race game? Why bother with the keeping up with the Joneses game? Why bother throwing a good portion of your income at a 401k retirement plan? It’s clear that the overwhelming majority of U.S. citizens, even those pumping money into retirement schemes, are never going to hit the magic $7.5 million mark that 42% of rich people say is needed just to retire.
I’m not even Middle Class. My income has steadily been going down since January 2000. Now, my before tax deductions income is less than $20,000 per year. I know people worse off than that.
Is this proof of how bad our economy is? If it is, the rest of us are f**ked!
Proof that the Rich are Insane, they think they’re poor
Fidelity Investments surveys a thousand of some of its richest clients, to find out how they feel about their wealth. The survey involves clients with an average of $3.5 million in investment assets.
For 2010, 42% said they do not feel rich. In 2009 it was 46% that did not feel rich. That’s about 4 out of 10 rich people who think they are still poor.
How much would they need to feel rich? According to the survey, $7.5 million.
Fidelity Investments also said 55% of the wealth in the United States is held by only 5% of the people. This backs up what the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) said in one of their recently released surveys.
Sounds like some of the rich are suffering from some kind of personality, or obsessive compulsive, disorder. Perhaps some kind of factitious disorder. But what about the rest of us? After all we’re letting them run our economy, and in effect our lives.
Obama & Libya, Lies, Lies & more Lies
President Barak Obama spoke at a news conference, where he explained the reasoning behind the push for a no fly zone.
He stated that NATO, and Arab countries, will take the lead in enforcing the military option, while the U.S. will supply various support for the military action, and humanitarian aid.
Obama said this came after Gaddafi refused to back off of attacking “peaceful” protesters, and that he made threats of “no mercy” against the rebels.
Point 1: The Libyan protesters are NOT peaceful. Look at how the protesters in Egypt and Tunis behaved. Early on Libyan protesters attacked government forces, and police, then captured military weapons which they have been using since. The Egyptians & Tunisians did not do that.
It has become clear that Libyan rebels have also been supplied from outside Libya with weapons and ammo. A Libyan arms dealer in Egypt has admitted that this is happening. Libyan rebels have admitted the same. We now know that some how the rebels have developed their own air force, seemingly overnight.
In the eastern half of Libya, where the majority of oil fields are by the way, Libyan police and government forces joined the rebels, and it seems they were paid off.
This is not a case of peaceful protest, and certainly not on the same level as the events in Egypt and Tunis. This is a full blown civil war.
Point 2: Many of the Arab League (League of Arab States), who are supporting the no fly zone, are at this very moment suppressing the peaceful protest going on in their countries. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen, etc. In fact Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirate are currently helping Bahrain suppress a truly peaceful protest by the majority of the population.
Point 3: The push for a no fly zone and military action against Libya started before Gaddafi made threats of “no mercy”. In fact, very early on Obama demanded that Gaddafi step down. Obama did not do this with Mubarak in Egypt! The Obama administration actually made supporting statements for Mubarak for at least a week, before asking Mubarak to implement changes, and then finally asking Mubarak to step down. Very different treatment when compared to Gaddafi.
Point 4: If a similar situation happened in the United States; violent protests, attacking government forces, capturing military weapons, defections of military and police to the rebels side, you can be sure that President Obama, or any President, would not hesitate to do exactly what Gaddafi is doing. This policy even has an official name: National Security.
Yes Gaddafi is bad, but so are the governments of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, etc. Hey, don’t forget that President Bush Jr took Gaddafi off the terrorist list, in 2006. And the UN lifted sanctions in 2003.
So President Obama, why are we helping “peaceful” heavily armed rebels in Libya, while ignoring the murders of truly peaceful protesters in other countries? All I can hear is lies, lies and more lies.
Donations to Japan piddly compared to Haiti quake and Hurricane Katrina
A philanthropy newspaper reports that international non-profit donations to help Japan, one week after the 9.0 quake, total $87 million.
Compared to the number of donations, within the same time period, to Haiti and survivors of Hurricane Katrina, it is piddly.
Haiti received $275 million in donations to non-profits one week after their big quake. Areas hit by Hurricane Katrina saw $522 million one week after that disaster.
This could be due to the bad economic situation, but I have seen plenty of comments on the web, many made by people in the United States, that show that a lot of people think Japan “deserves” this situation. Xenophobia continues to build.
Japan sets aftershock record
252 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater have so far hit Japan, after the devastating 9.0 quake on March 11.
This is a record for Japan.